Lower House votes for additional thresholds in federal parliamentary polls

The bill on the return to a mixed election system, passed in the second reading on Wednesday, it demands candidates from new parties running in Duma elections present additional proof of their popularity.

The amendment was prepared jointly by all four parliamentary
caucuses. Once it is signed into law candidates at parliamentary
elections would have to back their applications with at least
200,000supporters' signatures (with not more than 7,000
signatures collected in each of Russia’s 95 federal regions). The
parties that have already participated in parliamentary polls and
received support from at least 3 percent of voters are exempt
from this rule, and so are parties represented in at least one
regional legislative assembly.

Independent candidates would have to present signatures of
supporters numbering at least 3 percent of the number of voters
in the constituency (at least 3,000 signatures if the total
number of voters is under 100,000).

In the same Wednesday session the State Duma turned down the
suggestion to lower the minimum threshold for parliamentary
presence to 3 percent from the current 5 percent.

The bill clearly favors the political establishment but it is
also aimed at dissolving fears that citizens could become
confused by the large number of minor political parties. Also, as
the leader of one of parliamentary parties, Vladimir Zhirinovsky,
pointed out recently, the increasing political competition leads
to more disgruntled citizens who take to the streets after their
candidates fail in elections.“The lack of mandates will make
them ask questions – how it all happened that they participated
in elections and they are in the street again,” Zhirinovsky
said at a parliamentary meeting earlier this week.

Russian mass media have already estimated that under the new
rules only 12 of the 74 existing parties will be able to
participate in State Duma elections.

The political reform benefitting smaller parties was put in place
during Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency. The changes included
reducing the minimum number of party members from 40,000 to 500.
A minimum requirement on regional branches was also dropped, but
parties must be present in at least half of Russia’s 95 federal
regions.